The last installment of Eaganblog, “Trust Me, Sucker,” was my 200th, and I confess that I’m a little ashamed of it. Well, maybe not ashamed, but certainly disappointed in myself. I think this election season has pulled me toward despair, and I have allowed that to happen without putting up much of a fight.

The piece is filled with dark irony, and there’s nothing wrong with that, but I think it ignores some good things happening this presidential cycle that deserve to be mentioned. Unless you are very easily offended, I recommend this as an example of that kind of positivity.

How, you may be wondering, can this uncouth cartoon be a positive thing? Well, besides being a bluntly scatological ad hominem attack, it is actually a very astute observation about political reality. Donald Trump and his pitch are indeed the waste product of an ugly, partisan style of politics. For eight years now (or twenty, if you reach back to the rise of Newt Gingrich) the Republican Party has chosen to emphasize fear and hatred over facts and reason. Today, we are seeing the end product of that choice. I think of Michael De Adder’s drawing as the truest kind of satire — one that may be subject to many metaphorical interpretations, but at its core there is a simple, undeniable truth. Plus, it’s funny.

And that gives me hope. Sarah Silverman, with her adorable portrayal of Adolph Hitler on Conan, also gives me hope. Black Lives Matter gives me hope, and so do all the angry young lefties who protest against what they rightly see as the rise of the dark side under the Trump banner. The news media, despite their vow of impartiality and their sad record of providing free media for the Donald, are finally reporting the plain truth about his charade of a campaign: he is an avatar for what is worst in all of us.

Furthermore, I am encouraged by what I sense as the ability of most of my fellow citizens to see through the con being run by Donald Trump. That shouldn’t be such a hard thing to do, but at least the majority of my fellow citizens appear to be on to the scam.

As to the Republican Party itself, I am less certain. They were the party planners for this celebration of ignorance, and now they will have to face the consequences. Let the monsoon of stupid rain down upon them. Perhaps something good will arise once the storm is spent.

You see? There is hope. I confess that I was not so optimistic when I was writing #200, but that dark moment has passed. For now.